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Australian authorities replace ambassador to US who criticized Trump

Kevin Rudd called Donald Trump the "most destructive president in history," Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said

SYDNEY, January 26. /TASS/. Australian authorities have recalled Kevin Rudd, who had criticized US leader Donald Trump, from the position of ambassador to the United States, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced.

"The Albanese Government will recommend to the Governor-General that Mr Greg Moriarty AO be Australia’s next Ambassador to the United States of America," Albanese’s statement, disseminated by his office, reads.

The prime minister noted that Moriarty, who previously served as Secretary of the Department of Defence (in 2017) and served in the US Central Command, "is uniquely experienced to take forward the Australia-US alliance." "He has also led the Department working with counterparts in the United States and the United Kingdom in the development and implementation of AUKUS [the military alliance of Australia, the UK, and the USA]," Albanese reported.

Earlier, the Australian government had stated that a new Australian ambassador to the United States would only be appointed at the end of March, when Rudd, who has headed the Australian diplomatic mission since December 2022, leaves this post to take up the position of President and CEO of the think tank Asia Society.

Before taking up his post in Washington, Rudd said Trump was the "most destructive president in history" who "drags America and democracy through the mud" on social media X. He deleted the comments after Trump won back the White House in November 2024, and in October 2025 even apologized to the US leader, who had stated that he did not like the Australian ambassador.

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United States Australia Donald Trump

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